Formula E Set to Return to Short Monaco Layout

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship won’t use the full Formula 1 circuit when it returns to Monaco in May, after an agreement was made recently between the FIA, Formula E Holdings and Automobile Club de Monaco.

E-racing365 understands that the reasons behind the decision to once again use the short layout are for sporting purposes and to ensure close racing throughout the event.

The series used the shorter track on its previous visits to the principality in 2015 and 2017.

“We are going to go back to the short-track,” Formula E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag told e-racing365.

“The appetite of the teams was pretty much to stay on the short track, so we stay on it.

“I personally would like to have seen us race on the same circuit as Formula 1 because I really don’t care about the comparison on times between F1 and Formula E.

“The only way we could maybe do it was to make some substantial modification to the long track which were going to cost a lot of money and disruption which didn’t make sense.”

The FIA is believed to have had concerns about the perception of performance differences between Formula E and Formula 1 cars on the same track.

E-racing365 understands that, at one stage, the ACM was ready to make modifications should a longer version of the circuit have been chosen.

A combination of the FIA’s will for Formula E not to race on the Formula 1 track, and the fact that some of the teams preferred the shorter layout, ended any push for the longer circuit to be used.

A small change on the short circuit is known to be under consideration and could see a slightly re-profiled right-hander at Saint Devote, the first turn.

The decision is expected to be ratified at the next World Motorsport Council meeting in Paris on Oct. 12.

Monaco Race to Remain Biennial

Agag says the Monaco E-Prix won’t become an annual event on the Formula E calendar in the near future, and will continue to alternate with the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco.

The Formula E race has run every two years since its first event in 2015, taking place on odd-numbered years while the historic event is on even-numbered years.

“[Monaco] has the Historic event which is successful and I think having more than two weeks [a year] racing would be too much,” Agag explained.

“For the moment it stays like it is but who knows in five or ten years’ time.”

Sam Smith is e-racing365's Formula E Editor. A 20-year veteran in motorsports media, including press officer roles in both the FIA Sportscar Championship and at Lola Group, Smith is a well-known face in the Formula E paddock, where he served as series editor for Motorsport.com from 2014-17. Contact Sam

3 Comments

3 Comments

Chris

September 26, 2018 at 12:08 pm

Ridiculous decision. Rather than being worried about lap time comparisons, which no one cares about, except some idiots on motorsport.com comments. They should have been thinking instead about showing up F1 with the best racing Monaco has ever seen.

I would like to see lap times comparison the same way that’s interesting to know the lap-time difference between a LMP2 WEC racing car and a F1 one in SPA for sample. I’m not naive to expect that FE cars would be faster but would be interesting to follow their progress over the years and compare the times to F1 cars from all eras.
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